Ryan Fraser Reveals Arsenal Transfer Rumours as Cause for His Poor Recent Form at Bournemouth

Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser has admitted that speculation linking him with a summer switch to Arsenal might have been the reason behind his poor recent form.

The Scottish winger went a month without getting a goal or assist and has revealed that talk about his future has been a factor in the drop in his performance level.

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Speaking about the impact of the rumours to the BBC ahead of Bournemouth's 5-0 victory over Brighton on Saturday, Fraser said: "Maybe it hasn't helped. Subconsciously, you might think about it. I'm just trying to get on with my work.

"The best thing I can do is play well. I need to get back to scoring, assisting and winning and then what will be, will be."

The 25-year-old did just that on Saturday afternoon, returning to his best in Bournemouth's 5-0 demolition of Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

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Fraser scored once and set up two more as the Cherries picked up their first win since Fraser's last goal in a 2-0 victory away at Huddersfield Town at the beginning of March.

That performance is sure to impress Arsenal boss Unai Emery who is keen to add more pace and creativity out wide for the Gunners next season.

The Scotland international certainly provides plenty of that and is a proven threat to opposition defences, having scored eight and assisted a further 12 goals this season.

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Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe will be desperate to keep him at the club for next season although he faces a fight to hold on to the likes of Fraser, Callum Wilson and David Brooks, whose impressive performances this season have alerted other top flight sides.

At the very least Howe will hope that any talk on their future does not continue to affect them for the rest of this season, as he seeks to secure a top 10 position for the South Coast side.